HMAS Perth (D29)

HMAS Perth (I29/D29) was a Modified Leander class light cruiser operated by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) during World War II. She was constructed for the Royal Navy (RN), and commissioned as HMS Amphion in 1936. After several years on the North America and West Indies Station, the cruiser was transferred to the RAN in 1939 and recommissioned as HMAS Perth.

At the start of World War II, the cruiser was used to patrol Australian waters, before being sent to the Mediterranean at the end of 1940. There, Perth was involved in the battles for Greece, Crete, and Syria before returning to Australia in late 1941.

In February 1942, Perth survived the Allied defeat at the Battle of the Java Sea, before being torpedoed and sunk at the Battle of Sunda Strait. 353 of the 681 aboard were killed, while all but 4 of the 328 survivors were captured as prisoners of war. 106 died in captivity, while 218 were repatriated after the war's end.

Design and construction

The ship was one of three Modified Leander class light cruisers constructed for the RN. She had a displacement of 6,830 tons, with a length overall of , a length between perpendiculars of , a beam of , and a draught of .Cassells, The Capital Ships, p. 92 The main difference to the previous five Leanders was that the newer ships had their machinery and propulsion equipment organised in two self-contained units (two Parsons geared turbines and two Admiralty 3-drum boilers in each...
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